What's your perspective?

The Gorgeous! Woman that we had the opportunity to meet over the weekend was an amazing woman.  She was in her early 60's and a retired 6th grade science teacher.  I loved listening to her and her story of courage and optimism.  This was her 3rd time battling Ovarian cancer since June of 2011.  Janis told the story of her surgery.  She arrived at the hospital expecting to have her port removed and her colostomy reversed.  When she awoke afterward alone in the hospital room she realized that she still had the port and the colostomy.  While in surgery the doctors found more cancer. It was that day that she changed her perspective.  Janis told us that she views her cancer as a chronic illness that occasionally needs to be treated and she said it with a smile on her face.
I thought about this many times since last weekend. It truly is how we look at things that keeps things in perspective and defines our outcomes. 

What is your perspective?  Are you looking at the glass half full or half empty? Change your perspective and you will change your outcome!

Once a Hero Always a Hero

I have made it no secret that I have the best in-laws in the world.  They have always treated me like one of their own.  My mother in law passed away 16 years ago but my father in law is still with us and lives 2 miles from us.  We see him most days and talk to him every day.  My father in law is a pretty "cool dude."  He wears Levi Jeans, cowboy boots and Lacoste shirts. John, my father in law was a firefighter for 32 years, he has been retired for 17 years.  He loves to tell stories about driving the fire truck and he would tell of some of the biggest fires in South Bend's history that he had fought.
Mike has always said that his dad is his hero and today that was confirmed that the hero lives on. 
We are in the process of preparing for our big fundraiser for Hello Gorgeous!  My father in law was on his way to help us, when he had to make a stop to help someone else first.  It seems that my father in law came upon a 4 car accident.  He stopped to make sure everyone was ok.  In one of the cars their was a pregnant woman and a young girl.  The doors were jammed and could not be opened,so my father in law crawled inside the car and sat with the pregnant woman and her daughter until the fire trucks arrived.   He told them that the doors would not open, they had to use the jaws of life to get her out. When he knew the situation was under control he went on his way to help us.  He mentioned not a word of this to me, but he did tell Mike.  While he was with us, he received a phone call from the pregnant woman's husband thanking him for being there with his wife and invited him to dinner. One of the firefighters that still knew him on the department gave the husband the number. 
My father in law did not make a big deal about this.  As a matter of fact, I didn't find out about it until we got home. Just and ordinary day for him turned into a heroic day for someone he didn't even know. 
What have you done lately to help another human being? What have you done to be an unsung hero?

My father in law is my hero and always will be.  And by the way, he is 76 years old!

My Sisters

When I'm the happiest

I am the oldest of 4 girls.  I love my sisters and I can say that some of my happiest memories come when the 4 of us are all together.  When my mom was pregnant for each of us she wanted a boy.  We were all supposed to be named Todd.  We said that she finally just got tired of trying and gave up after Trisha was born.  I am glad we were all girls and I know she and my dad wouldn't have had it any other way.

 

There is something special about a sister: the history we have shared over the years, being there for the wonderful moments that life gives us and the not-so-nice things that come down the pike when you are all growing up together.  What I love is that no one knows you like a sister does.  I love the connection that is made through all of the good times and the tears. We fought when we were young, and we still fight, but I cannot imagine life without all of them here with me.

 

In the last 2 months we have grown even closer. Tina, my 2nd youngest sister, was diagnosed with Endocervical-Uterine Cancer.  I have worked with women with cancer for more than 6 years now and have performed hundreds of makeovers for these amazing women. And yet nothing could have prepared me for the day Tina called me. 

 

It was a sunny day in June and I received a phone call from Tina.  I answered the phone and could hear her tearful voice saying, "I have cancer."  WOW!  Now what do I do!  I assured her that we would get through this and that it would be alright.

Tina has had a surgery and has started Chemotherapy, and her prognosis is great. 

 

 But I can say that it has truely opened my eyes to so many things. 

 

 

Life is way too short.  Live every day as if it were your last.

 

No one is immune to this horrible disease.

 

And Friends can never take the place of sisters

 

I can not imagine my life without Amy, Tina and Trisha I love you girls!!!